Lottery ticket sales in fueling forecourt

Abstract

A system enables lottery ticket transactions in a fueling forecourt by permitting the purchase of lottery tickets at a fuel dispenser. In the system, customers pay for lottery tickets through the fuel dispenser payment acceptors in conjunction with fuel purchases. Payment may be by cash, credit, or wireless credit storage device, with the cost of the lottery ticket or tickets added to the cost of the fueling transaction. The lottery ticket dispensers may be integrated within the individual fuel dispensers, one to each dispenser, or may be apart from the fuel dispensers with one or more lottery ticket dispensers located elsewhere within the forecourt area. The system provides a range of lottery ticket choices including pre-printed tickets, random-number tickets, and customer-number tickets. The system provides a convenient alternative to in-store lottery ticket transactions by allowing fueling customers to purchase and receive lottery tickets without need of entering the store.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A fuel dispensing system comprising: 
       a fuel dispenser including a customer interface for conducting a transaction including a lottery ticket purchase, a payment acceptor for receiving a payment for the transaction, and a lottery ticket dispenser for dispensing lottery tickets; and  
       a control system operatively associated with said fuel dispenser and adapted to cause said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser to dispense a lottery ticket to a customer in response to receiving the payment for the transaction through said payment acceptor in said fuel dispenser.  
     
     
       2. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a card reader for reading payment information from a customer payment card. 
     
     
       3. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 2  wherein the customer payment card is a credit card and said control system is further adapted to communicate with an outside credit authorization network to receive credit authorization for the transaction. 
     
     
       4. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a cash acceptor for receiving a cash payment from the customer. 
     
     
       5. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a wireless communication interface for receiving a wireless signal containing payment information transmitted by a wireless communication device. 
     
     
       6. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said control system is further adapted to communicate the transaction information related to the purchase of the lottery ticket to a lottery controller. 
     
     
       7. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a plurality of lottery ticket types. 
     
     
       8. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 7  wherein the plurality of lottery ticket types includes a multiple-draw ticket type where the lottery ticket is valid for more than one lottery drawing and is selected in accordance with information input by a customer through said customer interface. 
     
     
       9. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to dispense a lottery ticket having customer-selected play numbers and said customer interface in said fuel dispenser is adapted to allow a customer to input said customer-selected play numbers. 
     
     
       10. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a preprinted lottery ticket type. 
     
     
       11. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a random-number lottery ticket type. 
     
     
       12. A fuel dispensing system comprising: 
       a fuel dispenser including a customer interface for conducting a transaction including a lottery ticket purchase and a payment acceptor for receiving a payment for the transaction;  
       a lottery ticket dispenser associated with said fuel dispenser for dispensing lottery tickets; and  
       a control system operatively associated with said fuel dispenser and said lottery ticket dispenser and adapted to cause said lottery ticket dispenser to dispense a lottery ticket to a customer in response to receiving the payment for the transaction through said payment acceptor in said fuel dispenser.  
     
     
       13. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 12  wherein said fuel dispensing system generates a transaction indicia related to the purchase of a lottery ticket through said fuel dispenser, said transaction indicia communicated to the customer and to said lottery ticket dispenser by said fuel dispensing system, and further wherein said lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to allow the customer to input said transaction indicia thereby allowing said lottery ticket dispenser to dispense said lottery ticket associated with the purchase. 
     
     
       14. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 13  wherein said transaction indicia is communicated to the customer via a printed receipt. 
     
     
       15. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to scan said printed receipt to obtain said transaction indicia from the customer. 
     
     
       16. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 15  wherein said transaction indicia is based on a customer payment card used to pay for the transaction at the fuel dispenser and said lottery ticket dispenser includes a payment card reader for obtaining said transaction indicia from the customer's payment card. 
     
     
       17. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 15  wherein said transaction indicia is based on information received from a wireless communication device associated with the customer and said lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to receive information from the wireless communication device to obtain said transaction indicia from the customer. 
     
     
       18. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a card reader for reading payment information from a customer payment card. 
     
     
       19. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 18  wherein the customer payment card is a credit card and said control system is further adapted to communicate with an outside credit authorization network to receive credit authorization for the transaction. 
     
     
       20. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a cash acceptor for receiving a cash payment from the customer. 
     
     
       21. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said payment acceptor comprises a wireless communication interface for receiving a wireless signal containing payment information transmitted by a wireless communication device. 
     
     
       22. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said control system is further adapted to communicate the transaction information related to the purchase of the lottery ticket to a lottery controller. 
     
     
       23. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a plurality of lottery ticket types. 
     
     
       24. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 23  wherein the plurality of lottery ticket types includes a multiple-draw ticket type where the lottery ticket is valid for more than one lottery drawing and is selected in accordance with information input by a customer through said customer interface. 
     
     
       25. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to dispense a lottery ticket having customer-selected play numbers and said customer interface in said fuel dispenser is adapted to allow a customer to input said customer-selected play numbers. 
     
     
       26. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a preprinted lottery ticket type. 
     
     
       27. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 14  wherein said lottery ticket dispenser in said fuel dispenser is adapted to dispense a random-number lottery ticket type. 
     
     
       28. A fuel dispensing system comprising: 
       a plurality of fuel dispensers, each of said plurality of fuel dispensers including a customer interface for conducting a transaction, the transaction including the purchase of a lottery ticket, and a payment acceptor for receiving a payment for the transaction;  
       a lottery ticket dispenser associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers for dispensing lottery tickets; and  
       a control system operatively associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers and said lottery ticket dispenser and adapted to cause said lottery ticket dispenser to dispense a lottery ticket to a customer in response to receiving the payment for the transaction through said payment acceptor at any one of said plurality of fuel dispensers.  
     
     
       29. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 28  wherein said plurality of fuel dispensers are proximate to one another as at a fueling island within a fueling forecourt and said lottery ticket dispenser associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers is also located at the fueling island. 
     
     
       30. The fuel dispensing system of  claim 29  wherein said plurality of fuel dispensers are arranged in groups to form a plurality of fueling islands arranged within the fueling forecourt to facilitate simultaneous fueling operations and lottery ticket purchases by a plurality of customers. 
     
     
       31. A method of selling lottery tickets at a fuel dispenser in conjunction with a fueling transaction comprising: 
       prompting a customer to conduct a lottery ticket purchase in conjunction with the fueling transaction;  
       receiving input from the customer regarding the lottery ticket purchase;  
       conducting the fueling transaction;  
       effecting payment at said fuel dispenser for a cost associated with the lottery ticket purchase and a cost associated with the fueling transaction;  
       dispensing a lottery ticket to the customer corresponding to the lottery ticket purchase.  
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 31  wherein said fuel dispenser is adapted to perform said dispensing step. 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 32  wherein a separate lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to perform said dispensing step. 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 33  further comprising the step of determining a transaction indicia and an associated customer indicia corresponding to the lottery ticket purchase, and wherein said separate lottery ticket dispenser is adapted to receive said transaction indicia and said dispensing step requires the customer to input said customer indicia into said separate lottery ticket dispenser so that said customer indicia may be matched to said transaction indicia such that the lottery ticket corresponding to the customer's lottery ticket purchase may be dispensed. 
     
     
       35. The method of  claim 33  wherein said fuel dispenser includes a customer interface supporting the input of information by the customer in said receiving step. 
     
     
       36. The method of  claim 35  wherein said customer interface supports selection of multiple lottery ticket types, including preprinted number, random number, and customer-selected number lottery ticket types. 
     
     
       37. The method of  claim 36  wherein said customer interface of said fuel dispenser is adapted to permit the customer to enter a desired set of play numbers in association with the purchase of a customer-selected number lottery ticket. 
     
     
       38. The method of  claim 35  wherein said separate lottery ticket dispenser is associated with a plurality of fuel dispensers and is adapted to dispense lottery tickets corresponding to lottery ticket purchases conducted at any one of said plurality of fuel dispensers. 
     
     
       39. A fuel dispensing system comprising: 
       a fuel dispenser including,  
       a) a customer interface for conducting a transaction, the transaction including a lottery ticket purchase;  
       b) a payment acceptor for receiving a payment for the transaction;  
       c) a lottery ticket dispenser for dispensing lottery tickets; and  
       d) a control system;  
       said control system adapted to cause said lottery ticket dispenser to dispense a lottery ticket to a customer in response to receiving the payment for the transaction through said payment acceptor in said fuel dispenser. 
     
     
       40. A fuel dispensing system comprising: 
       a plurality of fuel dispensers, each of said plurality of fuel dispensers including,  
       a) a customer interface for conducting a transaction, the transaction including a lottery ticket purchase;  
       b) a payment acceptor for receiving a payment for the transaction;  
       c) a control system for controlling operation of said fuel dispenser and for communicating transaction information associated with the purchase of a lottery ticket to a remote lottery ticket dispenser; and  
       a lottery ticket dispenser associated with said plurality of fuel dispensers for dispensing lottery tickets and adapted to dispense a lottery ticket to a customer based on the transaction information communicated to said lottery ticket dispenser from a given one of said plurality of fuel dispensers.